Funny, Embarrasing, and oh so Me.

I invite you to a few of my thought bubbles from the past little while.

1)

"Hm. I need a green pepper. Let's see.... yep, the bike tires are still full so I'll just bike over to SuperFresh before it gets dark....

... oh my. When's the last time I rode this thing? Around 13 and a foot shorter. Maybe 3 feet shorter, judging by how high my knees are coming up and how far over I'm bent... Oh well, I'll keep going- it's a short ride, and I don't look too dorky....

...la-di-da, just riding with traffic... I really look like I belong here......Red light, better slow dow..WHAT is that noise?!? ...Ah sheesh. My brakes are squealin' like there's no tomorrow.. THAT'S not embarrasing... Well, maybe just the back one squeaks, so I'll try and only use the front brake... it's not much farther...

...la-di-*CLACK* WHAT NOW?! ... Why on earth is it changing gear?! Smile, just be cool.. Well, at least it's still goes even though it over-rotates every *CLACK* time it does that... I ca do this...

...doop-dee doo.... Ah shoot. I forgot about that hill! Why do they always put stoplights at the bottom of big hills....*squeeeeeaaaaaalllllll* Now how am I going to get up the other side?! Better just pedal like there's no tomorrow.. here goes....

... I think I can, I think I can, I *CLACK* I can, I *CLACK* I Can, I *CLACK* I can.... sheesh-a-loo....

............ ok I don't care about rules anymore. I've got my pepper, and I'm gonna' coast home on the sidewalk... No more of this street business, riding by fast cars on big hills... I'll brave the disapproval...

...Ah man! The last hill... Lots of people on that sidewalk, I'd better just gun it on the street..

*CLACKCLACK*... uh.... yeah... definitely straddling this bike trying to walk uphill on the busy street... please don't hit me, cars....

....goodbye pride....sigh....."

2)

"(flips off shoe) Oh look... my entire big toe is sticking out of my stocking... Yes, world, I can afford new ones..."

3)

"Oh Great. I just locked the door and left my keys inside......"

4)

"Mmm hot tea.... perfect for early morning classes... it's been in the thermos for 7 minutes, it should be cooler now... YEOW it's not cooler now!!!!!!!!! Aw Man! Now I look like I'm crying... my poor lip... Oh, wave to Shelby and pretend they're tears of joy. Pretend.."

Oh la la. My life... :)

I could die,

I could just DIE!!!!!

So I'm feeling terribly dramatic today, probably because my opera audition was tonight and so I spent the whole day making sure I liked my staging and character portrayal. Nonetheless, there are so many things that make me just want to lay down and die today.

1 UNO:

Renée Fleming is coming!!!!!

IIIIIIIII know.

I heard that this afternoon and was so excited.

But wait.

"She might give Masterclass"....

I seriously almost just died right when I heard those words.

She's probably my biggest heroine

(outside of the lovely ladies in my family)

and I don't mean the drug.

Although, sometimes her voice acts like one to me....

I'm sad, it's true, but she's amazing.

2 DEUX:

"Nessun Dorma"

Now, for all of you bloggers out there who are not opera nerds, and

are so unfortunate as to have never heard this song, especially being sung by Luciano Pavarotti, I am posting a link so that we can remedy your sad situation. This is truly one of the most amazing Arias ever written. And I love a LOT of music. But you can't beat this.

I was lucky enough to hear Pavarotti himself sing this LIVE.

Amazing... Let me know what you think of it.

(Be sure to silence my music player on the right, first! :)

Watch it once and see how completely effortlessly he sings it.

Then listen to it again with your eyes closed.

Yes, I could just melt. Right into a puddle on the floor.

Doesn't matter when or where, EVERY time I hear it.

3 DREI:

Kohen.

Seriously the cutest boy alive right now.

And he's a genius.

HE CAN READ.

He's 15 months old.

I have 2 adorable photos of him on my fridge, which make me miss him all the time.

Check out my sister's (let's just drop the "in-law" thing now. We're close enough for that ;) blog to read more about Kohen and his adorable family. They're the "Laing Family Blog" in my blogroll.

And finally, classes begin tomorrow at, most sadly, 8 am.

Let the games BEGIN!

(P.S. Pics and "Balmer" news coming soon)

A bientôt, mes amies!

New

Everything in my life is new right now. I'm settled into my new home in Baltimore. I finished an insanely exhausting week of trying to test out of review classes, trying to make new friends, and trying to figure out how to register for all the classes I need to take this semester at Peabody.

And I miss my family so much that it hurts today.

A few things are not new: the old intimidation of wanting to do well in school. Wanting to prove myself in the new opera department (of 115 students). The exciting/somewhat stressful fun of being in classes again. That feeling of "oh man, I forgot that I had that thing to do today".

But the weather here in good ol' Balmer is so lovely this week. Yes, it's still thick with humidity, but the winds are nice and the evenings are perfect. I love being down at the harbor. I know, I know, I'm such a tourist. But I love the people busy with seeing sights alongside me- they like to be there, and I like to be there. So I don't mind being touristy. I'll say it: I like it :)

Another new thing I've discovered, is that it's very easy to be negative here: The humidity, the city smog, the danger of living downtown, that singer who looked at me funny, the amount of classes, the lack of internet availability, the lack of close friends who really love what I love, the competition. But I've also discovered that, be it just my personality or my age, it's pretty easy so far to just be myself here. I love pretty things. I drinking tea from tea cups. I love walking outside (good thing, 'cause I don't have a car...). I love meeting new people. I love learning new things. I love to look at the brighter side of things, even if others are looking at the negative. And I love singing. I love the music. I love being able to sing it into people's souls, whether they realize it or not. I love acting with the music and words. I love being able to like the fact that I like these things, and I love being able to try my hardest to not let that change just because I'm in a new place. I love to try and use nice language, when no one else is. I love knowing that I have some really, really good heart friends, even if they're not here with me now. I hold onto you, just so you know. You get me through the day, even though I don't get to talk to you as much as I'd like.

I hope that none of this changes during my stay here at Peabody. I really hope that I can maintain my seemingly lighter outlook and somewhat simpler loves and likes.

Sorry for the randomness of this post. It's kind of all I've got in me right now.

Love you.

A

SIX

I've been tagged by my

cute pregnant sister Caroline to list

of my favorite things.

So here goes, but in no particular order.

UN:

I love kid's music.

I love all kinds of music,

but I still listen to tapes I've had since I was little,

and teaching for the past two years, I've accumulated even more!

And I love Disney.

Anything Disney.

Thus the particular song selections in my music-shuffle.

I figure that someday I might grow out of this,

but by then I'll probably have kids of my own and they'll listen to it,

therefore I'LL have to listen to it, so what's the point? :)

DEUX:

My family.

I love them.

Even more now that I live in Balmer, and they're so far away in Tejas.

They're grrrrrreat! (Tony the Tiger) The Best!(Nacho Libre)

TROIS:

I love quoting.

Movies ("Good, because I was gonna take them out."),

Oddessey's ("Oh Brandon, oh he's such a nice guy"),

Radio("heeeeheaewaer"- only Chason would get this.. the horse),

Tv ("Bears. Beets. Battlestar Gallactica.),

Commercial Jingles (800-588-2300, emPIRE),

Commercials ("How's it going, mom?" "mmm GWAPE!")

Now, I'm perfectly capable of carrying on a decent,

mature conversation,

but nothing adds to a sentence like a good quote,

complete with the proper voices.

QUATRE:

Kohen.

He's just the funniest little thing.

I can't wait for the next two little stork bundles to get here!

;)

It's gonna be fun.

Check this out:

CINQ:

Adventuring.

I enjoy going new places

and, for the most part, meeting new people

(though some are very grumpy and rude)

Today, I plan on taking my bike and doing a little city-seeing!

Here's a new place for you to see:

My new little appy.

(apartment)

SIX:

I enjoy rapping in opera.

Never heard it?

Ok, try this.

Think of any rap-ish sort of song you know,

or it could be any song with poorer diction,

and sing it with impeccable diction, and clear tone.

Try as an example:

Rap:

"I won't tell you that I love you,kiss an' hug you

'cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin

I'm not ly'n, I'm just stunnin' with my love

glue-gunnin'.

Opera-Rap:

I will not tell you that I love you, kiss and hug you

because I am bluffing with my muffin

I am not lying, I am just stunning with my love

glue gunning.

BAHAH

I laugh every time.

Maybe you have to hear it.

My family sure loves it.

;)

And there are my six for today, my peeps.

Holla' if you're feelin' it.

You're never fully dressed...

without a smile!

So Kohen has a new "smile"- NO idea where it came from, but it's hilarious, and he mostly uses this new smile when looking at my dad- dad doesn't know what to think of this. 

But isn't it such a winning smile?!

Gals after my own heart

I love writing and sending letters.

But I think that I love stationery even more.

I watched "Last Chance Harvey" for the first time,

and when Kate is being set up on a blind date with a man "in stationery"

and she says "I love stationery," I yelled "ME TOO!" 

A gal after my own heart.

Why, walking through the Dollar Spot at Target is a dangerous thing-

There's always a perfectly perfect little set of notecards positively calling my name.

And of course I answer the call.

It's the Dollar Spot.

How can I not?

Ingenious bit of advertising they've got going on at Target...

And as I bought a new cell phone last week 

and the salesman plugged on and on

about different text messaging packages I could get,

I couldn't help but think of how nobody writes letters anymore!

People spend hundred's of dollars per month 

to have internet and texting capabilities on their phones so that

they can message anytime they want,

but I bet if you asked every single one of them,

they'd tell you how they get excited when checking the mail everyday,

even if all they get is bills, and that they'd be 

THRILLED to get a letter from anyone.

How personal and thoughtful is it to receive a letter!

The picture above is the "stationery wardrobe" of a woman who wrote

this article.

Ahhh, another gal after my own heart.

And did you know that 150ish years ago and before,

 letter writing was a predominantly male art form?

Of course, I shouldn't have been surprised to read that, 

since practically everything back then was ruled by men.

I must say that I'm glad times have changed,

although I would not mind at all a guy who could wield some power with a pen,

and have stellar handwriting.

Keep in mind, oh future man o' mine.

So now I'm off to make a plate of cookies to go alongside

a nice spot of tea, 

and watch Lost in Austen

while I dust off my fountain pens.

Here's another link to an interesting site:

The art of Manliness

My favorite boy

My nephew is the most adorable little boy in the world. 

I love him so much.

And I hate him a little bit, since I think

that whenever I have my own kids,

they might not be as cute.

It's hard to imagine :)

Enjoy his then-newfound game of peek-a-"doo".